Botha, P W

Botha, P W
▪ 2007
“Die Groot Krokodil”; “The Great Crocodile” 
      South African politician (b. Jan. 12, 1916, Paul Roux, Orange Free State, S.Af.—d. Oct. 31, 2006, Wilderness, near George, Western Cape, S.Af.), as prime minister (1978–84) and president (1984–89) of South Africa, was fully committed to white supremacy, but he sought (with limited success) to find some middle ground between those who fully supported apartheid and the increasingly frustrated and militant nonwhite population. Although Botha's actions alienated many National Party (NP) supporters (who split away in 1982 to form the Conservative Party), his “reforms” were not enough to appease those seeking the end of apartheid. Botha studied law (1932–35) at the University of Orange Free State at Bloemfontein but left without graduating. He moved to Cape Province at age 20 to become a full-time organizer for the NP and was elected to Parliament in the 1948 NP landslide. Beginning in 1958 he held several portfolios, and in 1978 he succeeded B.J. Vorster as prime minister. Botha sought to weaken the black governments in Angola, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe and refused to cede South African power over South West Africa (later Namibia). At home his reforms—such as the policy of granting “independence” to various black homelands and a new constitution that conferred very limited powers to Asians and Coloureds—were meant to mollify international public opinion while dividing his nonwhite domestic opposition. He was elected South Africa's first president in 1984 by an electoral college selected from the white-dominated Parliament. Botha fell ill in 1989 and resigned his post as NP leader, but he did not yield the presidency until he faced opposition from within his own cabinet. In 1997 he refused to appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He was fined and received a suspended sentence, but it was overturned on appeal.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Botha — is a surname, especially common among white Afrikaners in South Africa. People named Botha include:*Louis Botha (1862 1919), first Prime Minister of South Africa *Pieter Willem Botha (1916 2006), also known as P.W. , South African prime minister… …   Wikipedia

  • Botha — ist ein vor allem in Südafrika innerhalb der Bevölkerungsgruppe der Buren verbreiteter Familienname. Die Namensträger können meist ihre Herkunft von den Einwanderern Friedrich Both (* 1653 in Wangenheim bei Gotha) oder Samuel Friedrich Bode (*… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Botha — Botha,   1) Louis, südafrikanischer General und Politiker, * Greytown (Natal) 27. 9. 1862, ✝ Pretoria 28. 8. 1919; befehligte im Burenkrieg (1899 1902) 1900 02 burische Verbände in Nordtransvaal. Nach der Kapitulation der Buren trat er für deren… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Botha — Botha, Louis, Burengeneral, geb. 27. Sept. 1862 als Sohn eines »Voortrekkers« aus franz. Geschlecht und einer holländ. Afrikanerin (van Rooijen), kämpfte 1884 unter den Freiwilligen, die sich in den Zulukriegen Land erwarben, und war dort bis… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Botha — (Louis) (1862 1919) général et homme politique sud africain. Commandant en chef de l armée des Boers (1899 1902), il fut Premier ministre du Transvaal (1907 1910), puis de l Union sud africaine (1910 1919). Botha (Pieter Willem) (né en 1916)… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Botha — Botha, Louis, Burenführer, geb. 1864 in Greytown (Natal), 1888 Mitglied des Volksraads der Südafrik. Republik, im Südafrik. Kriege zuerst Adjutant Lukas Meyers, dann Kommandant der Belagerungsarmee vor Ladysmith, schlug die Engländer bei Colenso… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Botha — Botha, Louis …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Botha — [bō′tə] Louis 1862 1919; South African statesman: 1st prime minister (1910 19) …   English World dictionary

  • Botha —  Cette page d’homonymie répertorie des personnes (réelles ou fictives) partageant un même patronyme. Botha est un patronyme très courant en Afrique du Sud. Il est le nom de famille de diverses personnalités de ce pays, tels que : Andre… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Botha, P. W. — ▪ state president of South Africa in full  Pieter Willem Botha  born Jan. 12, 1916, Paul Roux, S.Af. died Oct. 31, 2006, Wilderness, near George       prime minister (1978–84) and first state president (1984–89) of South Africa.       A native of …   Universalium

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